Estate Pipes

[norse743]

Have 130 pipes from Dad's collection - I've been told to leave as is and let buyer clean. What's your opinion? I have Wally Franks, Earl of Essex, Custom Bilt, Chadwicks, Ben Rodgers, London, Italy, Israel, French. Can I bring them to a pipe show? :puffpipe:

 

[tobyducote]

If your not experienced at cleaning a pipe, I would suggest not doing anything to them if your goal is to sell them....specifically do not ream the bowls...you can absolutely use some pipe cleaners to clean the stems and shank internally...if you have a local pipe shop, bring some of them by and find out how much they would charge to clean or buff them for you...

 

[mso489]

I'm not a resto guy, but I agree with what's been said. Clean them up with pipe cleaners, q-tips, and micro fiber, and tell potential buyers you've done that, and let them sanitize and upgrade them from there. Nothing heavy handed. No reaming -- best advice. Untrained people can ruin a stable of pipes in short order with a handy dandy reamer.
A pipe show is a good venue to show them, but you have to be straight up about their condition and what you do and don't know, and also don't get bullied by know-it-alls. The advantage of letting someone else handle them is they will have a good idea on actual market values.